Consumers can expect to pay full-whack for Bungie’s upcoming Halo 3: ODST upon its release in September following Microsoft’s decision to back-track on its initial statement claiming that the game would be a budget standalone expansion release.
At the time of those statements, the overall scope of Halo 3: ODST was not yet finalized and since then the project has grown increasingly more ambitious,” a Microsoft spokesperson told Joystiq.
We believe this standalone experience is much more than just an expansion. Halo 3: ODST provides a new campaign from the point of view of an entirely new character.
"Combine that with three new multiplayer maps, the entirely new cooperative mode called Firefight, and the complete Halo 3 multiplayer collection on a standalone disc, we feel this is a good value and tremendous addition to the Halo franchise.”
Halo 3: ODST will be released in the UK on September 22nd.